Chapter 4

Fans could also suffer a devastating blow. Even if it couldn't be considered a failure as an idol, he would definitely lose fans."

Although South Korea was strict about it, plenty of idols still dated in private. The relationships exposed each year by the famous gossip outlet Dispatch were only the tip of the iceberg.

So there was an unspoken rule in the industry.

Dating was fine, as long as you kept it well hidden.

Sheng Chi disagreed.

If you didn't want people to find out, you shouldn't do it in the first place. If you really did date someone, there would always be something others could use against you.

Of course, since Dispatch also had an unspoken rule against exposing same-sex couples, people often joked that idols might as well just date the teammates they spent every day with-

Sheng Chi's thoughts stalled, and his gaze happened to land on the person beside him.

Gu Zhijing looked as though he still hadn't woken up. His eyes were half-lidded, with a little moisture at their outer corners.

Sheng Chi: "..."

Stop thinking about it. How could that possibly happen?

Leaving aside whether their sexual orientations happened to align, given the unspoken competition between them, it was good enough if they could maintain a superficial peace rather than develop the kind of hostile relationship he had with the trainee who openly provoked him yesterday.

How could they possibly date?

Now that yesterday had come to mind again, Sheng Chi asked Gu Zhijing, "What's that trainee from yesterday called?"

Gu Zhijing spoke without thinking. "Which one?"

He glanced over, caught sight of Sheng Chi's expression, and immediately understood. "Oh, you mean... Qi Wang?"

As Gu Zhijing washed his cup, he secretly had a bad feeling.

If Sheng Chi and Qi Wang's relationship really turned into Jiang Yu and Qi Wang 2.0, he'd wear himself out just breaking up their fights every day.

He was earning a trainee's base salary while also having to do the thankless work of running errands and breaking up fights.

He was practically busier than an auntie on a neighborhood committee.

To keep anything from happening between the two of them, Gu Zhijing hastily added, "He's got a bad temper. Just ignore him as much as you can, and don't try to confront him head-on. Sometimes it's better to give way."

Sheng Chi said, "Is he that formidable?"

"You mean his skills?"

Gu Zhijing shook his head. "He's a little worse than Jiang Yu. But he always gets lucky with the songs he draws for evaluations, so the two of them have been competing for first and second place all along. That's why they can't stand each other."

Sheng Chi said mildly, "I meant his background."

Gu Zhijing paused and thought for a moment before lowering his voice. "Well... his family really is rich. He's never been knocked around by life, so he's developed the temper of a spoiled young master."

Sheng Chi frowned slightly. "If his family has money, why didn't they send him to a big company?"

As far as he knew, there was a decent company in the Chinese entertainment industry called Penglai Entertainment that particularly liked to package people with the persona of a rich second-generation heir who had come to work in show business.

They had even put together a boy group of rich young masters.

"..."

Gu Zhijing paused and made sure no one was around before continuing. "His brother knows Brother Fei. Back then, Brother Fei's project was on the verge of falling through, and his brother put up some money to support it in exchange for shares."

"Since his brother's a shareholder, he considers himself Leap Entertainment's future little crown prince."

Sheng Chi nodded, getting the general picture.

Something else occurred to Gu Zhijing, and he added, "Oh, right. Our dance and vocal teachers were brought in by Qi Wang too."

His brother had put up a sum that was neither especially large nor small, lending Fei Yue a hand when his dream was on the verge of falling apart.

He had also used his connections to bring in professional teachers to help the other trainees.

Of course Fei Yue had to give him face.

Qi Wang really had it all worked out.

With that connection, his debut was practically guaranteed.

No wonder Qi Wang spent his days thinking everyone else was a connection hire.

After all, he was the one with the biggest connection of them all.

He had always been conceited and believed he was certain to be the center and leader of the future debut group, so he and Jiang Yu, whose skills surpassed his, had become bitter rivals.

And now, at this critical juncture, Sheng Chi had been added to the mix.

Gu Zhijing, the peacemaker, let out a small sigh inwardly.

He had always helped mediate conflicts at the company because he owed Fei Yue a debt of gratitude and didn't want to see him troubled by them.

But now a two-way standoff had become a three-way struggle, and a storm of bloodshed was clearly on the horizon.

Gu Zhijing prayed silently.

Hopefully nothing will happen. Amen.

That afternoon's class was dance, and it was also the last class with a teacher that week.

Sheng Chi had joined at an awkward time.

The month-end evaluation was in three days, and during those three days, the trainees would practice their evaluation pieces on their own, with no more group classes scheduled.

So in this last class, the teacher simply finished teaching a contemporary dance they hadn't completed last time, then let the trainees practice on their own.

But the teacher called Sheng Chi away separately.

As soon as the teacher left, most of the trainees in the room immediately relaxed.

Qi Wang leaned against the wall in a corner, chatting with the little follower beside him. "Did you see that just now?"

"I did. He didn't look all that impressive."

During class, Sheng Chi clearly hadn't learned the song before. He had stood in the back and followed along casually, not seeming to pay much attention, and his dancing had been very laid-back.

Qi Wang scoffed. "That's SPC's standard? If word got out, SPC would be ashamed of him."

"He was at SPC for so long. If he was going to debut, he would have done it ages ago. Why would he have waited until they sent him back?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Looks like I'm sure to win the evaluation in three days."

The person beside him was more cautious. "You're that sure?"

"What if he's just hiding his abilities?"

Qi Wang chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm confident."

Gu Zhijing halfheartedly ran through a dance, then glanced toward the practice room door a couple of times, looking very much as though he was once again tempted to slip away instead of practicing.

"Do you think something might have happened to Brother Chi?"

Xu Linyuan: "..."

"What could have happened? The teacher always needs to ask a newcomer about his background. It's normal."

He handed over the tablet they used for practice. "You'd better worry more about yourself."

The month-end evaluation mainly tested singing and dancing, with the pieces chosen by drawing lots.

To make sure the trainees didn't embarrass themselves, most of the songs were ones they had learned in class and were of similar difficulty.

Only a very small number were popular songs they hadn't learned, which required the trainees to improvise a freestyle to the music. Those were a real test of their abilities.

Strictly speaking, it was a little unfair not to have everyone perform the same song.

But the evaluation would be livestreamed. Though the audience was pitifully small, they were also afraid the viewers would get tired of watching the same thing and even their remaining single-digit number of fans would leave.

Gu Zhijing took the tablet and said perfunctorily, "I'm practicing, I'm practicing."

He flipped through this month's practice songs, frowned, then turned to look at Xu Linyuan.

He blinked at him with an obedient expression.

Xu Linyuan grew a little unnerved under his gaze. "...What?"

Gu Zhijing's peach blossom eyes curved. "Do you have time?"

Xu Linyuan knew at a glance what he wanted to ask and sighed. "Spare me, young master. I haven't even finished working out my own dance."

He focused on vocals and was aiming for the group's main vocalist position, while his dancing was comparatively weaker.

Xu Linyuan thought for a moment and added, "Jiang Yu took the day off for something, so he can't help you either. Why don't you ask Sheng Chi when he gets back?"

Gu Zhijing put down the tablet. "All right."

Sheng Chi might be a little aloof, but he wasn't unreasonable.

Gu Zhijing had already unilaterally accepted him as an older brother, so asking him for a quick dance lesson probably wouldn't be a problem.

But when Sheng Chi returned from seeing the teacher, someone blocked his way at the practice room door before Gu Zhijing could approach him.

"New guy."

Qi Wang stood in front of Sheng Chi. "Want to make a bet?"

Gu Zhijing stopped as he was getting up and tightened his grip on the tablet.

Sheng Chi stopped, still unperturbed. "What?"

"In this month-end evaluation, if I beat you, you have to admit to everyone that even though you came from SPC-"

Qi Wang's lips curled. "You're still trash."

Qi Wang spoke neither loudly nor quietly, just loud enough for everyone in the practice room to hear.

The practice room, previously filled with chatter, fell silent at once. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at Qi Wang and Sheng Chi.

Gu Zhijing frowned.

He didn't know whether Sheng Chi had taken in what he'd said that morning.

But Sheng Chi remained expressionless.

He had simply recalled what Gu Zhijing had told him when he left the washroom that morning.

"Knowing Qi Wang's temper, he'll definitely provoke you again today. He might even try to goad you into a bet."

"My advice is to ignore him, no matter how nasty the things he says to provoke you are."

"Confronting him directly won't do you any good. If you actually agree, he'll definitely find a way to trip you up and make you lose, then make you honor some disgusting bet."

The young man had been serious, genuinely thinking of Sheng Chi's interests.

Since Qi Wang was bound to form a group with them in the future, putting up with him for the time being would help the team develop.

In the end, he was only harping on Sheng Chi's abilities. Everything would become clear after the evaluation in three days, so there was no need to confront him head-on and make it easier for him to set a trap.

It was a safe, very mature way to handle things.

He didn't look very old, yet he had everyone's temperaments figured out. He was quite shrewd.

Seeing that Sheng Chi said nothing, Qi Wang pressed him further. "What, you don't dare?"

But.

Why should I put up with it?

Sheng Chi looked up and replied, "What if I win?"

Qi Wang seemed not to have considered that possibility at all, nor had he expected Sheng Chi to actually respond.

He said dismissively, "Then I'll apologize to you."

"Fine."

"I accept," Sheng Chi said.

"And one more condition."

"If I win, you have to apologize to everyone in the practice room too."

Qi Wang's expression instantly soured. "Why should I? What would I be apologizing to them for?" he asked impatiently.

"Because you're wasting everyone's practice time right now."

Sheng Chi said.

Chapter 5

Most of a trainee's time was dull and monotonous.

So Qi Wang and Sheng Chi's bet was like a small stone suddenly tossed into still water, drawing the attention of everyone present at once.

In particular, Sheng Chi's additional condition dragged the other trainees into it as well.

What had originally been a bet between two people had instantly expanded into something involving the whole group.

Qi Wang didn't immediately grasp what had happened. He only felt that Sheng Chi was talking back to him, and, unable to swallow it, agreed on the spot. He only stopped after throwing out a few harsh words about how Sheng Chi couldn't possibly win anyway.

Sheng Chi fell silent for a moment. With no intention of staying any longer, he walked back out.

Xu Linyuan instinctively felt this wasn't a good sign. He glanced at Gu Zhijing, intending to suggest that he go check on Sheng Chi.

He turned, but before he could speak, Gu Zhijing had already darted out the door, faster than a rabbit.

Xu Linyuan: "..."

He certainly was quick to act.

"Brother Chi!"

Gu Zhijing followed him, trying to gauge his mood. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Sheng Chi said, "I'm fine."

His tone was calm, and he really did look as though he hadn't been affected in the slightest.

Gu Zhijing wasn't surprised.

He always seemed distant and aloof on the outside, as though the things happening around him had nothing to do with him.

Someone wanted to make a bet, so he did.

Though his attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, he didn't show any change in emotion either.

If it had been Jiang Yu, forget the bet.

He'd have beaten the guy up today.

Gu Zhijing stole a couple of glances at him, sighed, and muttered, "Why did you actually agree?"

Sheng Chi finally stopped and looked at him. "Do you think I can't win?"

Gu Zhijing paused. "Of course not."

He was a good judge of people. Although the question he'd asked in Fei Yue's office that day had been a misunderstanding, thinking back on it now, it confirmed that Sheng Chi was definitely highly skilled.

With what Xu Linyuan had told him about SPC's past on top of that, even a fool could tell.

Though Qi Wang's aptitude and skills were good among the trainees in their cohort, he was definitely still far behind Sheng Chi.

"But..."

Gu Zhijing hesitated for a moment, then gave him a tactful warning. "This evaluation might not be as simple as you think."

If it really were that simple, he wouldn't have needed to caution him that morning.